1991 in Canada

See also: 1990 in Canada, other events of 1991, 1992 in Canada and the list of 'years in Canada'.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Elizabeth II
• Prime Minister – Brian Mulroney
• Governor General – Ray Hnatyshyn

• Premier of Alberta – Don Getty
• Premier of British Columbia – Bill Vander Zalm then Rita Johnston then Michael Harcourt
• Premier of Manitoba – Gary Filmon
• Premier of New Brunswick – Frank McKenna
• Premier of Newfoundland – Clyde Wells
• Premier of Nova Scotia – Roger Bacon then Donald Cameron
• Premier of Ontario – Bob Rae
• Premier of Prince Edward Island – Joe Ghiz
• Premier of Quebec – Robert Bourassa
• Premier of Saskatchewan – Grant Devine then Roy Romanow

Events

• January 1 – The Goods and Services Tax comes into effect
• January 15 – Canadian Forces begin their participation in the Persian Gulf War
• January 29 – The Allaire Committee releases its report on Canada's constitution – it recommends sweeping changes such as the abolition of the Senate.
• January 30 – Gulf War: A Canadian CF-18 Hornet attacks and causes irreparable damage to an Iraqi warship.
• February 9 – Donald Cameron becomes premier of Nova Scotia, replacing Roger Bacon
• February 27 – Gulf War: Iraq agrees to a cease-fire ending the conflict
• April 2 – Rita Johnston becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Bill Vander Zalm
• April 22 – Joe Clark is appointed Minister of Constitutional Affairs
• May – George Erasmus, leader of the Assembly of First Nations, resigns and is succeeded by Ovide Mercredi
• May 14 MP John Nunziata alleges the RCMP know who bombed the Air-India flight 182 but didn't have evidence needed for prosecution.
• June 15 – Paul Bernardo kidnaps, rapes, and murders Leslie Mahaffy
• June 19 The Dobbie-Castonguay Commission is created to look into changes to the constitution.
• July 3 – The process leading to the privatization of Petro-Canada is begun
• September 24 – Dobbie-Castonguay Commission recommends an elected Senate, and recognizing Quebec as a distinct society.
• October 21 – The Saskatchewan election: Roy Romanow's NDP win a majority, defeating Grant Devine's PCs
• November 1 – Roy Romanow becomes premier of Saskatchewan, replacing Grant Devine
• November 5 – Michael Harcourt becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Rita Johnston
• November 14 – Nellie Cournoyea becomes government leader of the Northwest Territories, replacing Dennis Patterson

• Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the President of Haiti, who was visits Canada and is warmly welcomed by the large Haitian community in Montreal, where he had studied at the University of Montreal.
• Julius Alexander Isaac is named Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. He becomes the first Black Chief Justice in Canada
• David Schindler of the University of Alberta wins the first international Stockholm Water Prize for environmental research.
• Ferguson Jenkins becomes the first Canadian ever elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Canadian peacekeepers begin a five year deployment to El Salvador
• Canadian observers are sent to Western Sahara
• News media: eye weekly created

Arts and Literature

New Works

• Rohinton Mistry – Such a Long Journey
• Douglas Coupland – Generation X: Tales For An Accelerated Culture
• Margaret Atwood – Wilderness Tips
• Dave Duncan – Faery Lands Forlorn
• Hume Cronyn – A Terrible Liar
• Spider Robinson – Starseed

Awards

• See 1991 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Books in Canada First Novel Award: Nino Ricci, Lives of the Saints
• Gerald Lampert Award: Diana Brebner, Radiant Life Forms
• Geoffrey Bilson Award: Marianne Brandis, The Sign of the Scales
• Marian Engel Award: Joan Clark
• Pat Lowther Award: Karen Connelly, The Small Words in My Body
• Stephen Leacock Award: Howard White, Waiting in the Rain
• Trillium Book Award: Margaret Atwood, Wilderness Tips
• Vicky Metcalf Award: Brian Doyle

Film

• Atom Egoyan's The Adjuster is released
• James Cameron's Terminator 2: Judgment Day is released. It is the year's highest grossing film

Music

• Trevor Pinnock becomes director of the National Arts Centre Orchesta

Births

Deaths

• Jean-Paul Mousseau, muralist
• Maryon Pearson, wife of Lester B. Pearson